--- title: Janet R. Gusdorff url: https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff --- ![Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/media/zoo/images/Gusdorff-Janet-web_c5bbc1b5c8f790cca7bfdd8bf1218026.jpg) # Janet R. Gusdorff *Janet Gusdorff is a California Certified Appellate Law Specialist and the founder of*Gusdorff Law, P.C*. She represents plaintiffs in complex, high-stakes civil appeals and partners with trial lawyers to navigate post-trial strategy, preserve issues, and elevate written advocacy.  She can be reached at janet@gusdorfflaw.com.* ### Articles written by this author: [![Silence is golden](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/media/zoo/images/Gusdorff-thinkstock-532817989_03fc024c6398d61b7fc1ca80b2260ba0.jpg)](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2015-march/silence-is-golden "Silence is golden") ## [Silence is golden](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2015-march/silence-is-golden "Silence is golden") The best defense against the [[case]]Verdugo v. Target[[/case]] ruling on a business’s duty to patrons who suffer a medical emergency on its premises [Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff "Janet R. Gusdorff") [2015 March](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2015-march) ## [Toeing the line](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2015-december/toeing-the-line "Toeing the line") Considerations for drafting admissible juror declarations of misconduct [Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff "Janet R. Gusdorff") [2015 December](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2015-december) ## [Ethical considerations on appeal](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2016-december/ethical-considerations-on-appeal "Ethical considerations on appeal") How to avoid the traps of the most common ethical pitfalls [Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff "Janet R. Gusdorff") [2016 December](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2016-december) ## [Establishing the record](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2017-december/establishing-the-record "Establishing the record") An appellate lawyer’s perspective on what trial lawyers need to know about preserving their records for appeal [Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff "Janet R. Gusdorff") [2017 December](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2017-december) ## [DIY appeals for trial lawyers](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2018-december/diy-appeals-for-trial-lawyers "DIY appeals for trial lawyers") Circumventing common procedural snags in handling an appeal [Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff "Janet R. Gusdorff") [2018 December](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2018-december) [![Inferences explained](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/media/zoo/images/Gusdorff-istock-801735274_709dfd387e0ad11c699d8fbfb9593eab.jpg)](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2019-december/inferences-explained "Inferences explained") ## [Inferences explained](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2019-december/inferences-explained "Inferences explained") Using and rebutting inferences [Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff "Janet R. Gusdorff") [2019 December](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2019-december) ## [California appellate practice in the evolving digital age](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2020-september/california-appellate-practice-in-the-evolving-digital-age "California appellate practice in the evolving digital age") The nuts and bolts of the new appellate Court Rules for electronic filing [Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff "Janet R. Gusdorff") [2020 September](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2020-september) ## [Demystifying California civil writs](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2020-december/demystifying-california-civil-writs "Demystifying California civil writs") Writ relief is extraordinary and completely discretionary; most petitions are denied. Here are the basics for trial lawyers [Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff "Janet R. Gusdorff") [2020 December](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2020-december) [![An appellate perspective on verdict forms](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/media/zoo/images/Gusdorf_jury-verdict-form-web_ea756b0d04025b01c0e30dd6da533848.jpg)](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2021-january/an-appellate-perspective-on-verdict-forms "An appellate perspective on verdict forms") ## [An appellate perspective on verdict forms](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2021-january/an-appellate-perspective-on-verdict-forms "An appellate perspective on verdict forms") Although often relegated until the end of the trial, crafting a verdict form is among the most important aspects of a trial [Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff "Janet R. Gusdorff") [2021 January](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2021-january) ## [The unique inequity of [[case]]Privette[[/case]] and its progeny in wrongful-death cases](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2021-april/the-unique-inequity-of-case-privette-case-and-its-progeny-in-wrongful-death-cases "The unique inequity of [[case]]Privette[[/case]] and its progeny in wrongful-death cases") A new take on challenging [[case]]Privette[[/case]] and securing its reversal by the California Supreme Court [David H. Greenberg](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/david-h-greenberg "David H. Greenberg") [Emily Ruby](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/emily-ruby "Emily Ruby") [Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff "Janet R. Gusdorff") [2021 April](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2021-april) [![Valuing your appeal](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/media/zoo/images/Gusdorff_istock-898683510_93126357a3f99bc5d6d21318ff40a5e4.jpg)](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2021-december/valuing-your-appeal "Valuing your appeal") ## [Valuing your appeal](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2021-december/valuing-your-appeal "Valuing your appeal") A formulaic way of deciding when outsourcing the appeal to appellate counsel makes sense [Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff "Janet R. Gusdorff") [2021 December](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2021-december) ## [Overcoming common defenses to plaintiffs’ recovery of 998 costs](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2022-december/overcoming-common-defenses-to-plaintiffs-recovery-of-998-costs "Overcoming common defenses to plaintiffs’ recovery of 998 costs") How to evaluate the likelihood that your 998 offer will withstand defendant’s challenges [Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff "Janet R. Gusdorff") [2022 December](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2022-december) [![Now what?](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/media/zoo/images/Gusdorf-istock-523318725_1d6c9d12d0f1e290de0ca5775c2843da.jpg)](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2023-december/now-what "Now what?") ## [Now what?](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2023-december/now-what "Now what?") Unusual conundrums during pendency of an appeal [Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff "Janet R. Gusdorff") [2023 December](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2023-december) [![Busting through writer’s block](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/media/zoo/images/Gusdorf-istock-1596438370_6045e7760180ba2bd920750f1c64a7bf.jpg)](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2024-february/busting-through-writer-s-block "Busting through writer’s block") ## [Busting through writer’s block](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2024-february/busting-through-writer-s-block "Busting through writer’s block") The solutions for focusing and starting to write are as varied as the distractions and reasons we do not [Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff "Janet R. Gusdorff") [2024 February](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2024-february) ## [Preparing to be prepared](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2024-december/preparing-to-be-prepared "Preparing to be prepared") Avoiding rookie mistakes at oral argument [Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff "Janet R. Gusdorff") [2024 December](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2024-december) [![Using AI to elevate legal-writing advocacy](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/media/zoo/images/Gusdorff_art_legal_writing-2236812892_5bc311570b8448626a5f3a9db2c99586.jpg)](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2026-january/using-ai-to-elevate-legal-writing-advocacy "Using AI to elevate legal-writing advocacy") ## [Using AI to elevate legal-writing advocacy](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2026-january/using-ai-to-elevate-legal-writing-advocacy "Using AI to elevate legal-writing advocacy") Lawyers who ignore AI risk becoming the Blockbuster Video of our profession. Here are practical applications, examples, and prompts for today’s litigators [Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff "Janet R. Gusdorff") [2026 January](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2026-january) [![The cold-eye advantage](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/media/zoo/images/Art_Cold_Eyes_1_pic_154948881_5defe31f858e9831dd8e1670ef8364fe.jpg)](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2026-may/the-cold-eye-advantage "The cold-eye advantage") ## [The cold-eye advantage](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2026-may/the-cold-eye-advantage "The cold-eye advantage") Using AI to stress-test trial strategy, evidence, and appellate risk [Janet R. Gusdorff](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/authors/janet-r-gusdorff "Janet R. Gusdorff") [2026 May](https://www.advocatemagazine.com/issues/2026-may)